Thursday, January 24, 2008

Dr. Michael Babula, who is running for Congress in Maryland’s fourth congressional district, supports ending the prohibition of drugs and believes it is a moral and economic issue. The prohibition of drugs has caused economic incentive for illegal cartels and gangs. Ending the prohibition of drugs would significantly reduce violent crime caused by addicts and drug dealers, whose only option is to steal, murder, and partake in illegal employment to support their habits. Through legalizing drugs, there will be an increase in supply, which will cause the price of drugs to decrease, and thus, make them more affordable for addicts who no longer need to engage in criminal acts. Also, the legalization of drugs would eventually lead to peace in Columbia and Latin America.

Babula2008.com states that during prohibition, cartels sold more potent forms of alcohol, while today the average per capita consumption of alcohol has plummeted to its lowest level ever. The outcome would be the same with drug use. Just like alcohol, the government has no right to tell its citizens what types of substances they are allowed to consume. According to http://www.jstor.org/view/00419907/ap050314/05a00050/0, pregnant women fear going to the hospital for treatment because officials will have them arrested or take their child away. The problems the pregnant women face in getting help are ignored and thus make the problem worse. The focus should not be on arresting the woman, but on treatment.

Dr. Babula’s competitors from Maryland’s fourth congressional district, Donna Edwards and Albert Wynn fail to mention their stance on the prohibition of drugs on their websites while Dr. Babula clearly states his stance on the legalization of drugs and a number of other current issues.

There are many benefits to the legalization of drugs. Legalizing drugs would force gang members to get jobs because they would no longer be able to make a living off selling drugs. Secondly, it would save billions of dollars in prison costs and allow police to focus on actual crimes occurring in communities. Thirdly, ending the prohibition of drugs would raise billions of dollars in new tax revenues that could then be put into crime and drug abuse prevention and treatment, school systems, and making the community safer. Fourthly, http://www.richardwarrenfield.com/Ten%20ReasonstoEndProhibition.htm offers a number of key reasons to end prohibition, one being to regulate drug dosages.